The last month has seen the annual migration of tailor working their way along the coast between the Tweed coast and Fraser Island. Although the chopper tailor have been feeding in good numbers

on and off proving anglers with plenty of good sport. The larger green backs are playing hard to get, meaning that only those keen anglers that put in the time have been producing the prize winning fish. If your wanting to join those anglers with a prize winning catch that will make your mates green with envy than follow my helpful tips below.

Keys to success include:

Find a good deep gutter with an entry and exit point and plenty of white water where possible.

Have sharp hooks, buy good sharp hooks and resharpen used hooks for your tailor rigs.

Heavy mono leader is better than wire as the bait can move more freely, just make sure you use at least 75lb or more.

Once hooked keep plenty of pressure on the fish, any slack line will allow them to throw the hooks. This doesn't mean to skull drag the fish, just take your time, let the fish run when needed, but keep pressure on the line at all times.

Fishing over night is the best, tailor love dawn and dusk, but they also feed readily on the last of the making tide as the gutters fill out.

Fishing outfit to the job:

12-13'6” beach rod with a medium action that is required for throwing big baits. 700 size alvey or similar sized spinning reel with 20-30lb mono or braided line.

For hooks we use two 7/0 mustad 4200 hooks ganged together for the strip bait or 3 ganged together for whole baits.

With the westerly's blowing over the weekend it will ideal conditions for getting on the beach and throwing a bait in for the chance at a solid green back tailor. Just remember the colder the weather conditions the better for tailor. If you persevere with proven techniques you could be the angler bragging on the channel 7 fishing report with a big tailor.

LOCAL FISHING REPORT

Noosa: Snapper, Sweetlip and Spanish Mackerel up to 12kg from Sunshine Tailor, Whiting and Dart along North Shore and Teewah. Bream and chopper Tailor at the river mouth on the top of the tide. Trevally in Woods bay on lures. Mud crabs in Noosa Waters.

Maroochydore: Tailor to 4.4kg from Mudjimba Beach. Flathead up to 61cm from the mouth of Petrie creek to the Bli Bli bridge. Whiting from Twin Waters jetty to Goat Island. Trevally near Coolum Creek and in the Cod Hole. Mud crabs to 1.4kg in the creeks and along the wetlands stretch.

Kawana: Snapper tusk fish, sweetlip and large numbers of squid around Old Woman Island and the Gneerings. Golden Trevally up to 1.5kg around La Balsa Park. Tailor up to 2kg from the beaches during the early morning and late afternoon. Luderick from the end of the Kawana rock wall.

Caloundra: School Mackerel, Snapper and Sweetlip from the 5mile and Currimundi. Flathead and Bream from the mouth of Bells Creek on the run out tide. Trevally and Bream in the Pelican Waters Canals. Bream and Luderick from the boardwalk on the top of the tide.

Gary Gardiner puts in the hard yards using big strips of bonito during the early hours of the morning along Mudjimba Beach for prize winning tailor like this 4.4kg specimen.

Brenna was fishing aboard anglers advantage boat in the upper Maroochy last week when she caught her first dusky flathead on lure.

Giant trevally have been schooling in the upper Maroochy River over the past few weeks with fish around the 1kg putting up a good fight on light spin gear like Louie was using.

Teewah and Double Island Point gutters are the prime location at the moment for big green back tailor like those 3.5kg specimens held up by Gary Gardiner.